1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plasma display device includes a plasma display panel (PDP) for displaying text or images using plasma generated by gas discharge. It includes, depending on its size, more than several hundreds of thousands to millions of pixels arranged in a matrix pattern.
Generally, in a plasma display device, one frame is divided into respectively weighted subfields. During an address period of each subfield, an address pulse is applied to an address electrode of a discharge cell to be turned on (hereinafter referred to as “an on-cell”) or a discharge cell to be turned off (hereinafter referred to as “an off-cell”) while sequentially applying a scan voltage to a plurality of scan electrodes. In addition, a sustain discharge is performed on an on-cell by applying a sustain discharge pulse alternately having a high-level voltage and a low-level voltage to the plurality of scan electrodes during a sustain period.
In this case, the scan voltage is lower than the low-level voltage of the sustain discharge pulse so that a current path may be formed from the low-level voltage to the scan voltage through a body diode of a transistor that transmits the low-level voltage while a transistor that transmits the scan voltage is turned on. In order to prevent this current path, a path transistor is formed in the case that the low-level voltage is transmitted to the scan electrode.
However, the path transistor acts as a resistance component even when it is turned on so that waveforms applied to the scan electrode during the sustain period may be distorted. Further, the path transistor is realized as a large-capacitance switch for preventing excessive heat generation so that the production cost of the plasma display device increases.